"I was contacted (Wednesday night) about 8:30 of the situation and went and talked to them about what size of skates they were and what could be done," Moir said. "They had to skate their short dance on Thursday (night). I told them, 'I'll find two pairs of skates for you. Don't worry.' "

Bieliaiev is 6-foot-5. He takes a size 14. "We had a skater who's doing on-ice security volunteering for us this week (Chatham native and former pairs skater Adam Johnson) and he took off his skates for the boy to try on," Moir said. "They're not dance blades but they fit him. They just had to be sharpened up."

Big Bieliaiev hasn't used that type of skates since he was "five or six."

Above, doorman Tom McGarry stands under a collection of international flags at the Hilton London. At left, the display at Nash Jewellers on Dundas St.

Still, it was a stroke of luck. Finding skates for Kavaliova, who takes size 61/2, required a little more work.

"We had a set of skates brought in -- I got them about 10 (Wednesday night)," Moir said.

They were his daughter Cara's skates but they were too small.

Sheri, another of Moir's daughters and a former senior-level ice dancer, offered up the skates she used when she was part of the Nexxice synchronized team powerhouse.

"Sheri said they're not in great shape, they need a little work," Moir said, "but she (Kavaliova) tried them on and they're a little small, but they're better than what she had . . . "

Moir didn't have to go on to his last-ditch effort to save the day.

"It ran through my mind there was a set of Tessa (Virtue's) skates that might fit," he said. "We didn't want to do that to Tessa but there's a set of her skates on display (at the Moir's Shoeless Joe's restaurant in London) right now. It's a used pair in a showcase with her short dance outfit she wore at the Olympics."

Would Moir have yanked them out of the case and handed them over to American rival Meryl Davis if she was stuck?

"I would do it for any skater," he said. "It's all about the skaters. They come all this way and it's a dream to skate at worlds."

The girl's mother asked Moir how much she owed him for his emergency help.

"When (Viktoria) tried those skates on, they were tight but when she stood up, the smile on her face was worth it all," he said. "I told the mother, 'she just paid me.' The smile's all I need."

The Bud Gardens crowd, when alerted the Belarusians used borrowed skates, gave an ovation.

"We were happy to overcome and at least we were able to compete," Kavaliova said. "We are pleased with the way we performed . . . It would've been a shame to come all this way and not be able to skate at all."

They scored 32.50 and won't qualify for Saturday's free dance.

But they got the chance to dance -- with a little piece of London and area on their feet.